AIDS Awareness: Indispensible Prerequisite Among Fishermen Population

OBJECTIVES Fishermen are among the most vulnerable groups for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS with reported high prevalence. Poor knowledge base has been evidenced by a few studies. The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS among fishermen of the Kutch coast, Gujarat, India. METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 950 fishermen of the Kutch coast, in the months of January-February 2015. Knowledge of HIV/AIDS of fishermen was assessed using structured interview schedules with 12 questions. The information on socio-demographic characteristics was also obtained. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. The confidence level and level of significance were fixed at 95% and 5%, respectively. RESULTS A major proportion of participants (57.2%) had no access to any potential source of information and had never heard about HIV/AIDS (65.1%). Some of them were aware of modes of transmission of AIDS but only a few of them knew about the methods of prevention. Only 23.1% of participants were observed with appropriate knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS. Bivariate and multivariate analysis revealed significant variation in the proportion of participants with appropriate knowledge with age and educational status. CONCLUSION Overall, the knowledge of the fishermen community in the present study was evidenced to be poor creating an alarming situation demanding educative interventions as a part of AIDS control programs.